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           Zimbabwe Police, Soldiers Cast Early Votes Contested by PM

   by Reuters

   Police officers and soldiers who will be on duty during Zimbabwe's July
   31 election began voting on Sunday, the eve of a court hearing to stop
   the process because Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC party says
   police numbers were inflated.
   Zimbabwe will hold presidential and parliamentary elections and police
   chiefs have been campaigning for Tsvangvirai's arch-rival, President
   Robert Mugabe, telling rank-and-file to vote for the veteran leader and
   his ZANU-PF party.
   The MDC says junior officers were threatened by superiors to rally
   behind Mugabe, a charge dismissed by the police. Mugabe, 89, has been
   in power for 33 years and long criticized by political rivals and the
   West for perceived authoritarianism.
   While so far largely peaceful, the election process has been criticized
   as disorganized, under-funded and plagued by irregularities.
   The state electoral commission says 69,000 police officers, 2,000
   prison officers, 164 soldiers and thousands of election officials were
   taking part in a two-day special vote starting on Sunday.
   Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has queried the
   police figures and the High Court will on Monday hear a request by the
   party to stop the voting.
   The MDC says only 41,133 members of the police are eligible to vote,
   according to a Ministry of Finance salary schedule.
   In 2008, police, soldiers and prison officials were forced to vote in
   front of their superiors in barracks and camps, but are now casting
   ballots in public polling centers monitored by all political parties
   and foreign observers.
   Police officers could be seen at voting centers in the capital Harare
   queuing patiently to cast their votes.
   Tsvangirai, making his third attempt to end Mugabe's long grip on
   power, says nothing has been set in place to ensure a vote fairer than
   previous elections.
   Tsvangirai, who tried in vain to have the next election delayed, said
   ZANU-PF was using bureaucratic obstacles and tricks such as keeping
   dead people on the electoral roll to try perpetuate itself in power.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/zimbabwe-police-soldiers-cast-early-v
   otes-contested-by-pm/1701395.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/zimbabwe-police-soldiers-cast-early-votes-contested-by-pm/1701395.html